Medication dispensing in healthcare facilities can be a complex and time consuming process. In order for patients to have their medications and supplies when they are required, an authorized medical person may have to retrieve the medication or supplies and deliver them to the patient. The authorized medical person may also have to administer the medication or configure the supplies for use as necessary.
“Titratables,” or intravenous titratable medications, also referred to as “drips,” rarely run on a prescribed schedule such that it may be difficult to estimate when a patient may need an intravenous medication. Having authorized healthcare personnel check on a patient's medication status, check a patient's prescribed medication status, request medication from a central pharmacy, and retrieve a medication from a central pharmacy can be very time consuming and may significantly impact the efficiency of healthcare personnel. Further, quality of care may be reduced by inefficient practices if healthcare personnel are preoccupied with requesting and obtaining medications for a patient rather than administering them and speaking with a patient. As such, it may be desirable to improve the efficiency with which medications are dispensed to a patient, particularly intravenous medications.